Jermaine O’Neal: I Want to Play for a Contender

“We have a great owner, Mr. Arison, and a great organization,” O’Neal said. “Coach Riley, we have a great relationship. And you kind of let the business take care of itself.

“You don’t try to worry too much about it. I’m at a position in my career where I feel healthy again. I just want to have an opportunity to play for that champagne and that ring, whether that’s here in Miami or somewhere else. I don’t know.”

The rub is that O’Neal considers himself a valuable asset, someone who still expects to get paid.

“I knew coming into this year, it was about being healthy,” he said. “That was something that I wanted to do, to play over 70 games and I was able to do that. I had fun again. I had a lot of fun.